Australia vs South Africa: Per capita CO₂ emissions from coal
Australia
5.34 tonnes per person
in 2024
South Africa
5.8 tonnes per person
in 2024
Australia rank
8th
South Africa rank
7th
Per capita CO₂ emissions from coal over time
- Australia
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 5.8 tonnes per person against 5.34 tonnes per person in Australia, a difference of 0.46 tonnes per person.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Australia's.
The two have swapped places 15 times across 141 shared years of data; in 1884 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 8th and South Africa ranks 7th of 179 countries.
Across the 15 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 13 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 1.89 tonnes per person | 0.0136 tonnes per person | 1.88 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 1890s | 2.08 tonnes per person | 0.5903 tonnes per person | 1.49 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 1900s | 3.19 tonnes per person | 1.6 tonnes per person | 1.59 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 1910s | 4.46 tonnes per person | 2.99 tonnes per person | 1.46 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 1920s | 4.52 tonnes per person | 3.51 tonnes per person | 1.01 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 1930s | 3.69 tonnes per person | 3.22 tonnes per person | 0.4669 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 1940s | 4.66 tonnes per person | 4.4 tonnes per person | 0.2519 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 1950s | 5.48 tonnes per person | 4.89 tonnes per person | 0.587 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 1960s | 5.64 tonnes per person | 5.51 tonnes per person | 0.1302 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 1970s | 6.02 tonnes per person | 5.78 tonnes per person | 0.2397 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 1980s | 7.37 tonnes per person | 7.41 tonnes per person | 0.0424 tonnes per person | South Africa |
| 1990s | 8.78 tonnes per person | 6.87 tonnes per person | 1.91 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 2000s | 9.78 tonnes per person | 7.5 tonnes per person | 2.28 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 2010s | 7.56 tonnes per person | 7.07 tonnes per person | 0.4981 tonnes per person | Australia |
| 2020s | 5.63 tonnes per person | 5.88 tonnes per person | 0.2482 tonnes per person | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher per capita co₂ emissions from coal, Australia or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 5.8 tonnes per person against 5.34 tonnes per person in Australia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in per capita co₂ emissions from coal between Australia and South Africa?
- 0.46 tonnes per person, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and South Africa?
- 141 years are reported by both, from 1884 to 2024.
- How do Australia and South Africa rank globally for per capita co₂ emissions from coal?
- Australia ranks 8th and South Africa ranks 7th of 179 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Per capita CO₂ emissions from coal. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal, measured in tonnes per person.